3 Rumored Knicks trade targets not worth giving up RJ Barrett for

The New York Knicks are a team looking to make a move up the Eastern Conference totem pole after finishing the 2022-23 campaign in the number five seed and coming within just two wins of advancing to their first Conference Finals berth since 2000.

To many, the way for them to do this is seemingly to make a major splash on the trade market to attain more star power to better support their top talents in Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.

In many hypothetical trade scenarios, RJ Barrett is seen as a primary outbound asset to acquire coveted players across the association.

Considering his sound counting stats of 19.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists over the last two seasons, coupled with his status of being a recent top-three NBA Draft selection, it’s easy to see why the belief is his inclusion in a deal would be vital to entice another club to part with their own desired baller in the first place.

That said, in some mock-trade scenarios found scattered across the web, the wing’s name is included when it likely would be more beneficial to simply hold onto him instead.

Rumored trade targets Knicks should not trade RJ Barrett for

By no means should Barrett be viewed as an “untouchable” commodity on the Knicks. Frankly, aside from maybe Brunson, they have no such asset.

However, there are a few popular targets out there that are just not worth Leon Rose and company parting ways with their soon-to-be fifth-year forward for.

3. DeMar DeRozan

Throughout his 14-year career in the association, DeMar DeRozan has established himself as one of the more prominent two-way wings the modern game has had to offer.

A six-time All-Star and a three-time All-NBA selectee, the veteran boasts impressive career averages of 21.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.0 steals on 46.8 percent shooting from the field.

Even during his age-33 campaign last season, DeRozan still showed the type of impact he can have in the league, as he clinched yet another All-Star nod to go along with averages of 24.5 points, 5.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals on 50.4 percent shooting from the field.

With this type of production, some, such as SNY’s Ian Begley, have suggested the Knicks should strongly consider pursuing a trade for his services to make a serious run at a championship in 2023-24.

Over the last several months, fans and media pundits have taken on the role of make-believe GM and have constructed trade packages to send DeRozan to the Knicks, many of which have included the likes of Barrett heading out to the Windy City.

Now, there’s a strong argument to be made that Barrett currently is the weakest link in Tom Thibodeau’s starting lineup, and his erratic play over the last few seasons has made per-game outcomes incredibly hard to predict.

However, if Rose and Co. were to look for an upgrade and, in turn, a replacement, is the answer really in the form of a 34-year-old inching closer and closer toward the twilight years of his career?

Adding DeRozan to the roster without giving up the likes of Barrett has the potential to bolster their overall talent pool, but a swap seems to make little sense from a long-term perspective, especially considering New York is not just one piece away from legitimately contending.

2. Zion Williamson

Ironically, during the 2019 draft, when the Knicks selected Barrett third overall, everyone and their mother knew the front office’s most desired prospect was his Duke teammate, Zion Williamson.

Despite boasting by far the worst record in the league during the season heading into the festivities, New York failed to land the number one pick where the tantalizing big was ultimately selected by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Fast forward four years later, and we see rumors have begun to surface suggesting Williamson’s time in the Big Easy could be on the verge of ending, with Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes noting back in early July that the power forward could be had for the “right package.”

Naturally, this sent the faithful followers of the Knicks franchise into a frenzy, with fans constructing packages they believed could be enough to finally send the now 23-year-old to the Big Apple, and, often, a name seen linked as a trade sweetener was Barrett.

Now, without question, Williamson is indeed the far superior talent of the two and clearly possesses the higher upside when found on the floor — he’s already a two-time All-Star with career averages of 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

That said, there are still two serious problems with the idea of trading Barrett away in such an exchange.

The first is the fact that Williamson has struggled with injuries throughout his tenure in the association, as he’s played in just 114 out of a potential total of 308 regular season games. Say what you will about Barrett, but he’s played in 70 or more games in all but one season throughout his career with the Knicks, and, in 2020-21, suited up for every single contest.

The second, and perhaps most important, is the fact that trading one of Williamson’s known best friends for his services would simply be a horrible way for his tenure to be kicked off, as the exchange alone would almost certainly have the big arrive to New York with a bitter taste already planted in his mouth.

1. O.G. Anunoby

O.G. Anunoby has been viewed as a target for the Knicks for quite some time now, with reports of the franchise’s interest dating back to the 2023 trade deadline.

With his combination of a two-way skill set along with championship experience (won a title with the Raptors back in 2019), it seems to make perfect sense why New York would be heavily invested in bringing on a player like the Toronto stud.

However, more times than not, the trade packages constructed that would theoretically net Anunoby seem to have Barrett included, which is something people need to think twice about.

At first glance, the Raptors’ wing is viewed as the more coveted player of the two with his more enviable shooting splits and his slightly better defensive efficiency, but upon further inspection, it’s Barrett who should be the name the Knicks should wish to hold onto in any such pursuit.

From his already proven abilities as a top-two or top-three scoring option (averaging 19.1 points on nearly 35 percent shooting from deep since 2020-21) to his more desirable age (three years Anunoby’s younger at 23 years old), the wing has showcased an ability to thrive within this rotation (albeit, not as consistent as many would hope) and still has plenty of upside to his game considering his untapped potential, particularly in the shooting department.

On top of this, Anunoby has struggled significantly to stay on the floor since entering the league back in 2017 and has played in less than 50 games in 2020-21 and 2021-22 as a result of injuries.

The 26-year-old is a solid player, but one who seems to be limited to being a better-than-solid starting wing, which, though by no means is a bad thing, is not something worth parting with a just recently extended former third overall pick for.

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